Men's Day Cravats & Casual Cravats
There's something wonderfully unforced about a good day cravat. It gives you the polish of proper neckwear without making you look as though you're on your way to a board meeting.
Our men's cravats are designed for daytime and smart-casual wear, with patterns and fabrics that work particularly well with shirts, blazers, waistcoats, linen and relaxed tailoring.
They're a natural choice for summer dressing, country weekends, garden parties and the races, but they're just as useful when you simply want to wear something around your neck that isn't another standard necktie.
What Is a Day Cravat?
A day cravat is a relaxed form of men's neckwear designed for daytime rather than strictly formal dress.
Compared with a conventional tie, a cravat has a fuller, softer appearance around the neck. It's generally worn with a more relaxed knot and doesn't have the rigid, businesslike shape associated with a traditional necktie.
That makes it particularly useful when you're dressing smartly but don't want the outfit to feel overly formal.
Wear a cotton cravat with a casual shirt and blazer, or choose silk when you're dressing things up a little. The right cravat can sit comfortably somewhere between a tie and leaving your collar open.
Cotton Cravats
Cotton is an excellent choice for a casual or day cravat.
It has a softer, more relaxed character than many traditional formal neckwear fabrics and works particularly well with casual shirts, linen, lightweight tailoring and country-inspired clothing.
A cotton cravat is also a useful choice for warmer weather. Wear one to a summer party, garden event, holiday lunch or day at the races when you want to look smart without looking too dressed up.
Patterns such as paisley, spots and florals work particularly well in cotton because they reinforce that relaxed, daytime character.
Silk Cravats
Silk cravats bring a little more refinement while still retaining the relaxed shape that makes a cravat different from a conventional tie.
A silk day cravat can work beautifully with a blazer, smart shirt or waistcoat when you're attending an occasion where you want to look polished but a standard business tie would feel too formal.
The choice between cotton and silk is largely about the rest of your outfit and the occasion. Cotton tends to feel more casual; silk can make the same style feel more dressed up.
How to Wear a Casual Cravat
The great thing about a day cravat is that you don't need to build an entire outfit around it.
Try a patterned cravat with a plain Oxford shirt and blazer, or wear one with a waistcoat for a more traditional country look. In warmer weather, a lightweight shirt, casual trousers and a cotton cravat can make an easy smart-casual combination.
The simplest rule is to let the cravat provide some of the colour or pattern and keep the rest of the outfit reasonably calm.
If you're wearing a patterned shirt, for example, a simpler cravat may work better. With a plain shirt, you've got considerably more freedom to choose something colourful or distinctive.
Cravats for the Races, Garden Parties & Country Events
Day cravats have long been at home at outdoor and social events where traditional tailoring meets a slightly more relaxed approach to dressing.
They're a natural choice for the races, garden parties, country events, summer parties and smart lunches, particularly when worn with a blazer or waistcoat.
This is also where more interesting patterns really come into their own. Paisley, floral and colourful cravats can add personality to a relatively simple outfit without requiring you to go full novelty.
Cravats for Wedding Guests
A day cravat can also make a great choice for a wedding guest, particularly for a daytime, summer, country or less formal wedding.
If the invitation calls for traditional formalwear, follow the stated dress code. But where the dress code is smart, relaxed or simply leaves some room for interpretation, a patterned cravat can be a good alternative to the usual wedding tie.
Think about the venue and season. A colourful cotton cravat can suit an outdoor summer wedding, while a silk cravat can work well with smarter tailoring.
And if you're attending rather than part of the wedding party, there's no need to match the groom. Pick something that works with your own outfit and lets you look suitably smart without appearing as though you've wandered in from the top table.
Cravat or Tie?
If you're wondering whether to choose a cravat or a conventional tie, it really comes down to the look you're after.
A tie has a cleaner, more structured appearance and is the natural choice for businesswear, formal occasions and traditional tailoring.
A day cravat is softer, more relaxed and a little more individual. It's particularly good when you're wearing a blazer, waistcoat or smart-casual clothing and want your neckwear to have some personality.
Neither is necessarily more formal in every situation. They're simply different types of neckwear with different characters.
How to Choose a Cravat
Start with the clothes you're most likely to wear it with.
If you're after something versatile, navy, burgundy, blue and other classic colours are easy to combine with shirts and tailoring. Paisley is a particularly useful pattern because it adds detail without being difficult to wear.
For summer, lighter colours and cotton fabrics can work beautifully. For smarter occasions, consider silk or a more restrained pattern.
And if you've already got plenty of sensible neckwear, perhaps this is exactly the time to choose something a little more interesting. That's half the fun of a cravat.
Looking for Something More Formal?
If you're actually looking for formal wedding cravats, groom's cravats or coordinated wedding-party neckwear, that's a rather different category from the casual day cravats in this collection.
For more formal occasions, take a look at our formalwear, ties and bow ties collections, or explore the wider ThreadPepper range for something suited to the dress code.
For everyday smart-casual dressing, though, you're in the right place.
